Valezca loved the Lord, and frequently read her pink Bible at break time. The Bible was written in Spanish, and I learned that it was a gift from a close friend--which made it all the more special to her. Valezca had two children, a son and a daughter, and both were pre-teens. She always told me that she wanted to raise them up in Christ, but that it was a hard task to accomplish since they were surrounded by so much secularism at school and on television. During the summer, she usually sent her two children to Guatemala to visit their grandparents and other relatives. She told me that they would always come back to the States with a newfound appreciation for what they had, and that their incessant pleas for the latest and greatest material possessions would subside for a few weeks.
Valezca worked hard, and she was a clear leader. She was very close to the other women who worked with her, and most of them looked up to her. She played the role of custodian/counselor well, and several lives were undoubtedly affected in a positive way by her caring and calm demeanor. She cared about me, and was deeply interested in my life; I know this because she remembered nearly everything that she asked about me. When it was my birthday, she orchestrated a plan to buy me a gigantic birthday cake at a well-known bakery in San Luis Obispo (I might add that nearly all of the custodians pitched in to buy me the cake despite their $28,000 per year paychecks).
I miss visiting with Valezca and having her laugh at my ill attempts to converse with her in Spanish. She told me that I should go to Guatemala and stay with her family for a while; and believe me, if someone bought me a plane ticket, I would be there quicker than she could dimple.
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